Tiny £6 CHIP computer nears $1m on Kickstarter

A tiny, $9 (£6) computer that can run a full version of Linux has raced past its fundraising goal on Kickstarter. At the time of writing CHIP had nearly 19,000 backers and had raised more than $966,000 (£617,000) with 25 days of fundraising still to go.

Various versions of the CHIP are being sold, but they are all powered by a 1GHz ARM processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. There's also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. A mainline version of Linux comes preinstalled with LibreOffice and the Chromium browser pre-loaded onto the device.

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The standard $9 model is limited to 5,000 Kickstarter backers and has a composite video output. Adding HDMI, which is widely used on nearly all modern monitors and TVs, increases the price to $24 (£15). A version with a VGA adaptor is also available for $19 (£12). Shipping to the UK also increases the price of the basic $9 version to $29 (£19).

Next Thing Co, the company behind the CHIP, said it could be used to learn coding, record music or run as a basic, low-cost computer. The firm said it was able to offer CHIP for a low price because it planned to sell tens of thousands, allowing it to buy from manufacturers at lower, bulk prices.

Another version of the computer, the Pocket CHIP comes with a basic keyboard, 4.3in touchscreen display and a battery to run the device for five hours. Backers on Kickstarter pledging $49 (£31) or more will receive a kit that includes a Pocket CHIP.

The initial shipment of $9 CHIP computers has already sold out on Kickstrater, but a second batch shipping in January 2016 is still in stock.

The market for small, low-cost computers has expanded rapidly since the debut of the Raspberry Pi. Google recently announced its own barebones computer-on-a-stick, with Intel's Computer Stick also entering the fray. Earlier this year the BBC also announced its return to computing with the Micro Bit, which is expected to launch in the autumn.